THE REALIZATION OF THE WISH TO AWAKE BIG FOOTBALL IN VANADZOR FROM IMMIGRATION IS IN QUESTION …
It is gratifying that the city that once lived and breathed football, with the best football traditions, glorious pages and devotees, does not come to terms with the idea that all of that is in the past and everything is irretrievably lost. A group of football devotees from the third city of the republic, after a break of years, are trying to convince again that Vanadzor was and will be a FOOTBALL CITY. For this purpose, the first professional “LORI” football club founded in Armenia was restored through their efforts, this time under the name “LORI-VANADZOR”. In the 2023-24 season, the club acquired the right to participate in the youth championships of the FFA (Football Federation of Armenia). All that remained was to form a team with football players of the appropriate level of skill and to boldly throw themselves into the arena of struggle. There were also practical steps and plans in that direction to fight in the Higher League in the future… But today the realization of that opportunity is in question. There is one reason and it is clear to everyone: there are no funds. It is also unknown when they will be… will they be at all…
Meanwhile, the beginning was promising. With the financial support of the Vanadzor Municipality (with the support of Arkady Peleshyan and former governor Aram Khachatryan), Russian TRAKTOR GROUP representatives Alexander Nikulin and Ivan Kuznetsov, in the 2023-24 season, the FA first participated in the Armenian Youth Championship with 4 teams, and then in the 2024-25 season with 5 teams, under the auspices of the Armenian Football Federation. In 2024 On May 25, the club received a license from the Armenian Football Federation and UEFA to participate in the 1st League of Armenia. The club’s under-15 youth team of the same name did not suffer a single defeat in Group C of the Armenian Youth Football Championship this year, winning first place in its subgroup (last year it was also among the leaders). In the competition organized to identify the best team in the group and challenge for a place in Group B, the Lori youth team met with Ashtarak’s “Olympia” in the final and won 2:0, winning a place in Group B. Of course, they will try to develop their successes if … if the team is preserved, if they have the opportunity to continue playing in the new subgroup … Simply put, it all depends on whether investors and financial resources are found or not. It should be noted that the coaches of both that and other youth teams have done their job tirelessly, almost without a salary. The club’s leaders have also been working without a salary for two years: the president is Norayr Zuloyan, the founder of the first professional club in Armenia in 1988, the vice-presidents are equally famous people in the football world Sergey Zakaryan and Gagik Sargsyan. The Armenian Football Federation has not provided any assistance, not even sportswear, not even a single ball, and the most ridiculous thing is that to this day the club does not have a single office in the stadium and has not provided our football teams with the “Lori” city stadium for home games, which after renovation is now under the “ownership” of the FFA itself, not the city. With the help of a group of football-loving friends (from Italy, the USA: Gagik Sarukhanyan, Hovhannes Zuloyan, Norik Abrahamyan, etc.) and a one-time donation (5 million drams) and funds provided by the Vanadzor Municipality, the teams purchased sportswear and necessary equipment, ensured the teams’ participation in away games, and also received support from some parents. The club spent about 14 million drams for all of this. However, these are not enough to carry out the programs and successes. – Is the existence of this established club, the possibility of having teams playing in the RA championships, in question? – I address the leaders of the “Lori-Vanadzor” football club. The answer is not comforting: “Not only the 1st league and youth teams, but also the club’s further activities are in question. In the absence of raising financial resources and the absence of investors, we will be forced to stop the activities of the restored club in the near future.” They only bitterly expressed their dissatisfaction with the indifference of the Armenian Football Federation and its regional representatives, regional and city authorities, and businessmen. Yes, they dreamed, it seemed to them that organizations and people with the opportunity and responsibility would also be moved and extend a helping hand for the sake of awakening and restoring the former football tradition, former football excitement and bustle in Vanadzor from its slumber. Meanwhile, they are faced with the reckless attitude and stone indifference of even the competent bodies, not understanding that BIG FOOTBALL is, first of all, BIG POLITICS. Yes, it is impossible to keep a 1st league team and restore previous successes with small amounts donated by close friends and relatives. Nevertheless, the club leaders and team coaches are not completely discouraged, they are determined to continue the struggle both on the fields and against “widespread indifference”.
Gagik Antonyan
(June 25, 2025, local and DIASPORA media correspondent)